Also, Duke’s has partnered with Pastor Jack Miranda and Living Faith Church of La Mirada to help a family in need.

Money was collected at the toy event that will be donated to help a local family in which a grandmother is now raising a family after a 3-year old and 5-year old lost their mother to a tragic automobile incident.

Miranda said via text the club is not stereotypical, “They are a wonderful asset to the community and can often be misunderstood as a bunch of lowriders.”

Last month, Duke’s also participated in the annual Foster Road Elementary Thanksgiving Feast and the Whittier Boys and Girls Club Thanksgiving Feast where over 500 adults and children were fed.

Duke’s has also appeared and contributed to the La Mirada Relay for Life the last two years.

The club’s mission statement reads: “To continually promote the concept and improve the image of low-riding through dedication, commitment and involvement within our organization and within our communities."

You can help those less fortunate this holiday season with La Mirada's annual Holiday Toy & Food Drive.

Now through December 12, donations of new, unwrapped toys, and nonperishable food items will be accepted at the following City facilities: Activity Center, Resource Center, Community Gymnasium, Community Sheriff's Station, Splash!, City Hall, and participating local businesses throughout La Mirada.

This worthwhile program will help provide holiday gifts and meals for La Mirada families in need during the holiday season. For more information, contact the City of La Mirada at (562) 902-3160.

La Mirada~The City's Chili Holiday Celebration and tree lighting will be heldSaturday, December 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Splash!

Santa will spread holiday cheer as guests enjoy live entertainment, crafts, and games. Free chili, hot dogs, warm drinks, and cookies will be served. Keepsake photos with Santa and train rides will be available for a small fee.

Families may also participate in the Holiday Wreath auction. Nonperishable food items and unwrapped toys will be collected to support local families in need.

For more information about the Chili Holiday Celebration, call (562) 943-7277.

La Mirada~The City will be holding a by-district election on March 7, 2017 to fill two City Council seats The third and final public hearing was held on November 8 to gather input on draft City Council district maps.

The City Council initiated the change after a threat of a lawsuit from MALDEF (Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund).

A total of 12 maps were considered by the Council including submittals from residents Dale Nowicki, Noel Jaimes and Zurich Lewis. MALDEF submitted a map as well. A firm the City hired also submitted map choices.

After the public hearing, the City Council approved to change the City Council election system from at-large to by-district and adopted a district map, known as Map 12 (submitted by Lewis), to be in effect by the March 2017 City Council election.

Members of Districts 1 and 2 will be elected in March 2017, while members of Districts 3, 4, and 5 will be elected in March 2019. Members must reside in the districts they represent. To view the District Map, visit the City’s website.

The map pits incumbents Pauline Deal and Andrew Sarega against each other in District 2. Both have already filed for re-election. In District 1, nobody has filed papers as of this time.

The nomination period opened at on November 14 and closes at 4:30 p.m. on December 9. If an incumbent does not file papers by December 9, the nomination period is extended until 5:30 p.m. on December 14. You must be a registered voter in the City of La Mirada on the date nomination papers are picked up at City Hall to qualify to run for the office of La Mirada City Councilmember.

The last day to register to vote in the March 7, 2017 election is February 20, 2017. Registration forms will be available at City Hall, the La Mirada Library, the Post Office, or you can request it by mail by calling the Los Angeles County Elections Registration Request Line at (800) 481-VOTE (8683).

If you have general questions about the election, please contact the City Clerk’s office at (562) 943-0131.

Do you have an opinion, comment or information you would like to share with the community? E-mail the La Mirada Blog at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
, text us at (562) 483-3574 or send us a message on our Facebook or Twitter pages. Please give us permission to use your name or if you would like to remain anonymous. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of the La Mirada Blog or its advertisers. Here’s the latest:

Please be aware a black Chrysler.300 around La Mirada going around stealing your valuables when you're not looking. My daughter and her husband parked in my driveway just for a few minutes to pick up the babies. Once they came back their wallets were taken. A neighbor came running to let us know a strange looking tall white male came around and quickly ran away from the house. Unfortunately we've lived here a long time and because we've never experienced this before, we thought it would never happen to us. A very valuable lesson learned — feeling angry-Regina Trevino

There is a painting contractor going by ###### ###### & ########## ####### operating within the city limits of La Mirada, and they are preying on local senior citizens. They do have a contractor’s license but not a La Mirada city business license. They have painted many houses in the city over the years.Their work may be decent work but nonetheless, they continually stop by every year or so and suggest other painting or repair work and even say the house needs to be painted again. The particular experience I know of is of a house painted by the company less than 5 years ago and definitely does not need to be repainted again. They do not wait for the work to be solicited by the homeowner, but knock on the door recommending work often not needed because they have gained the trust of the senior citizen. They charged $5500 to paint a house less than 1200 square feet, that was painted fairly recently. -Anonymous

I have had 2 vehicles stolen from the 14000 block Valley View Avenue. The latest was a F750 service truck on 11/4/16 @ 4:05 AM out of my driveway. The GPS was defeated 12 minutes later in a neighborhood on Imperial Hwy west of Valley View. No leads at this point-G. Smith

Heads up my dads truck was broken into on Libra drive. 1st time someone has broken into anything the 35 years I've lived there. -Brian

La Mirada~According to a source, for unnamed reasons, the Steinmart located at 15754 Imperial Highway will be closing its doors when its lease expires in February. Multiple sources have also indicated to us that a Ross Department Store may take its place.The Steinmart is expected to remain open through the end of the year.

Also, we received a message the Elephant Bar Restaurant at 14303 Firestone Boulevard has shuttered. We tried calling the restaurant earlier this evening to confirm, but there was no answer and no message opportunity. After visiting the site, we can confirm the restaurant has closed.

The end of the work is drawing closer as the Office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and the County of Los Angeles Public Library have announced a dedication and tour event for the remodeled La Mirada Library.

The event is scheduled for Monday, November 21 at 1:30 p.m.

The Library is currently undergoing a $4 million renovation project. The funds for the project were provided by Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe as part of the Supervisor’s “Operations Library” campaign. Through the campaign, five libraries in the Los Angeles County 4th district have been upgraded.

Renovations to the 45 year-old library include new flooring, ceilings, paint, lighting, furniture and equipment. The library will also feature a teen work room, study rooms, an extensive children’s area, a conference room, and a space for the Friends of the Library group.

For more information, contact the City of La Mirada at (562) 943-0131.

La Mirada Living is reporting that the new McDonald’s at Telegraph Road and Imperial Highway should be open around January. Across the street at the former Starbucks, The Habit Burger Grill, which is renovating the building should also be open around the same time. Progress continues on Shabuya, the all-you-can-eat shabu restaurant that will feature over 6,000 square feet of dining area and 69 tables. It will be located at the long-vacant former China Star building at the southeast corner of Rosecrans Avenue and La Mirada Boulevard. Also, the magazine is reporting Piara Pizza will be opening a store at 13930 Imperial Boulevard in the Imperial Plaza. Piara is similar to Lil’ Caesars offering ready to go pizza and more.

Arts Colony of La Mirada

The next meeting will be held on Monday, November 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the La Mirada Resource Center, 13710 La Mirada Blvd. Artist Joseph Yakovetic will demonstrate portrait painting in acrylics. Mr. Yakovetic is also the President of the La Mirada Symphony Orchestra. The demonstration is free to the art appreciating public. For further information call 562-448-3427, 562-941-4116 or find us at acolm.org. Also, the Colony's annual "Mirrors of your Mind" juried art show will begin Monday November 7 at the La Mirada Activity Center. Pieces will be on display from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, with the closing awards reception to be held on Saturday from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Come to enjoy the remarkable pool of fine art residing in our local environs.

Toy & Food Drive

You can help those less fortunate this holiday season with La Mirada's annual Holiday Toy & Food Drive. Now through December 12, donations of new, unwrapped toys, and nonperishable food items will be accepted at the following City facilities: Activity Center, Resource Center, Community Gymnasium, Community Sheriff's Station, Splash!, City Hall, and participating local businesses throughout La Mirada. This worthwhile program will help provide holiday gifts and meals for La Mirada families in need during the holiday season. For more information, contact the City of La Mirada at (562) 902-3160.

Smart Driver Courses

The La Mirada Activity Center will be hosting AARP Smart Driver courses in November. The full course is a two-day class for older adults, taking place on Thursday and Friday, November 17-18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Upon completion of the course, participants could receive discounts on their auto insurance rates. Full attendance on both days is required.

Also being offered is a refresher course on Thursday, November 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a one-day class that covers materials learned in the two-day class. It is recommended to attend the two-day course before enrolling in the refresher course. A trained instructor will teach the courses. Materials, including course guidebooks, will be provided to each participant. Both programs cost $15 for AARP members and $20 for non-members. To register, or for more information, contact the La Mirada Activity Center at (562) 902-3160.